Love Thy Neighbor (Friend-Zoned #2) Page 6
My hand skims his neck, moves down his broad chest and stomach til I reach the zipper of his jeans.
Ding Dong.
We both lift our heads and look to the door.
Oh, you are freakin’ kidding me!
Cole groans then chuckles and buries his face into my chest. Still chuckling, he says, “I think you better get that. If I answer the door like this, I’m going to scare someone.” This comes out muffled.
We both laugh and stand. Cole reaches into his pocket, hands me a fifty and I glare at it.
Then I glare at him.
He states, “If we went out, I would’ve paid for dinner anyway, so just pay the damn guy and get your sexy ass back here so we can pick up where we left off.”
I blink.
That is totally acceptable reasoning.
I run to the door and Cole laughs. I open the door, throw the money at the stunned teenage delivery boy, snatch up the pizza then slam the door shut.
I hear a muffled, “Th- thank you!” from the other side of the door. On a mission, I throw the pizza on the kitchen counter, walk towards Cole and ask. “How do you feel about cold pizza?”
“Love it.” Cole replies on a smirk.
I nod vigorously. “Me too.” I take his hand and lead him to my bedroom.
I don’t plan on having sex with Cole tonight but figure if we’re going to make out, we may as well be somewhere comfortable. Once inside my room, I push him back onto my bed and straddle him. His arms wrap around my lower back. I lower my face to his and breathe him in.
“This is crazy,” he whispers.
I softly kiss his lips before I respond, “Batshit crazy.”
He smirks and murmurs, “Insane in the membrane.”
“Mad as a March hare.” I giggle.
He chuckles. “One flew over the cuckoo’s nest.” We both burst into fits of laughter, so hard it shakes the bed.
My heart swells.
This is exactly how Tina and I joke. We can’t seem to stop. The both of us fight hilariously to get the last word in and usually take a huge detour from what we started talking about. I can’t seem to remove the idiotic smile on my face, but am slightly appeased when I see Cole wearing an identical idiotic smile.
God, we’re dorks!
Still smiling, I ask, “Where were we?”
Cole squints and looks up as if thinking, then flips me fast as lightning onto my back. He lowers his face and kisses me slowly and meaningfully. He lifts his face, his expression serious. “I know sex is out of the question tonight. I wouldn’t even ask for it, babe. But there is something I want to do so badly that I think I might just die if you don’t let me.”
My stomach flips.
My serious expression matches his. “What exactly would that be?” I ask cautiously.
He kisses me again. Against my lips he murmurs, “I want to taste you.”
My stomach drops. Right out of my vagina.
With wide eyes, I choke out, “Okay.”
What the fecking feck?
I mentally argue with myself.
Good me: I just agreed to let Cole do that? We don’t even know each other!
Horny me: Oh, shut your pie hole! A super hottie hot guy wants to give you some serious pleasure! What’s the problem?
Good me: Hmmm. I’m not sure, brain. Hold on. It’ll come to me. Nope. No problem!
Toot toot!
Horny me: Hooray! We miss this!
Oh, we totally did. I haven’t been with anyone since Ghost. That was an age ago. It led to me believing I was pregnant with Ghost’s child, setting up a doctor’s appointment and finding out I have PCOS which is the abbreviated term for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. It basically means I have cysts on my ovaries and uterus. My period was always irregular and I only went on the pill two years ago to regulate it. Even after a year of taking the pill my period didn’t normalize. I would only get spotting once every five to six months. Which I thought was awesome.
I mean, c’mon! Who likes getting their period?
Not me!
The doctor ordered an ultrasound. I was expecting to hear a heartbeat. Not Umm’s and Ahh’s.
When I saw the look on the doctor’s face, I knew it wasn’t good news. He talked a bit about PCOS and then explained to me the reason I wasn’t getting my periods was because I have cysts on top on cysts on my ovaries. My ovaries are so badly damaged and covered in scar tissue it’s very likely I won’t ever have my own children, and on the off chance I got pregnant, there would be no guarantee I’d carry full-term. The kind doctor took my hands in his, and as gently as possible told me I am a candidate for a hysterectomy. That was the point I broke down.
Tina once offered to be a surrogate for me. I love her for that, but until I find someone I’m serious about, it’s not something I’ll even think about.
I try not to get my hopes up about the children thing, but it’s something I’ve wanted since I was a little girl. I’d already planned my family and it would consist of me, a not-yet-named daddy, two sweet girls and one naughty boy. And two seriously ugly-cute pug dogs named Pizza and Donut.
That’s my family.
At least, it was.
Tina, Mimi and Lola all know about this. What they don’t know is just how seriously it cut me. And it cut me deep. The blade ran right through the heart, down my sternum and twisted in my gut. Although you can’t die from pain, this particular brand of pain makes you feel like you’re dying a very slow, tortured and excruciating death. My chest still aches when I think about it.
Cole brings me back to reality. “Panties off, sunshine.” He reaches under my long skirt and runs his hands up my legs, takes hold of my panties and lowers them. I know I haven’t waxed, but if it’s what he wants, who am I to deny him?
He leaves a trail of wet kisses up my leg and whispers against my inner thigh. “I’m gonna rock your world, sunshine.” He runs his nose gently up my folds and breathes me in.
Pure sex.
It’s dirty.
I love it.
My stomach and core tighten simultaneously.
Then Cole proceeds to rock my world.
Chapter Five
Friends
The next morning I wake with a start.
What the heck? Where is that noise coming from?
Buzz-buzz, buzz-buzz, buzz-buzz
Is there a goddamn bee in my bed?
The thought of a bee in my bed makes me jump up like a jack-in-the-box. So, here I stand on my bed, hardly awake and disorientated, mimicking a wrestling stance to fight a bee that I’m not one hundred percent sure exists.
A frown forms on my face. Something’s wrong here. My eyes focus on the flashing light produced by my cell phone on my nightstand.
I lower my grappling stance and hop off the bed.
Squinting, I pick up my cell phone and check the time. It reads 6:24am.
You’re freakin’ kidding me!
The person who just texted me obviously has a death wish. With a sigh, I open the offending text message and a surprised smile forms on my face when I see it’s from Cole.
Last night was hot. So hot I thought we’d burn the sheets. Or, at least, I’d burn the sheets. He did exactly what he said he would.
He rocked my world.
Cole made sure of that. He licked me, sucked me and made out with my pussy til I was almost in tears. The ass wouldn’t let me come and was enjoying it thoroughly. Every time I hurled sex-induced abuse at him, he would chuckle. Then it finally happened. And angels sang.
My legs shook, my core convulsed and I was spent. I fell into a sex coma.
Cole let me be for a little while. I subconsciously heard shuffling feet and running water, then I was being wiped with something soft and warm. Still in an endorphin-filled daze, I could only smile.
He scooped me up and walked me to the lounge room, placed me on the sofa and brought me the cold pizza. We ate in silence. Staring at each other and smiling like the idiots we are.
&n
bsp; When we finished eating, we sat wrapped up in each other, necking like a couple of teenagers. And even though it was cheesy, it was nice. So nice, I didn’t want him to go. During the remainder of the night, I mentally argued with myself. If oral sex was that great with Cole, the real thing would have to be spectacular.
Maybe it would rival sex with Ghost. I hope it rivals sex with Ghost.
I mentally sigh.
Nothing rivals sex with Ghost.
Before I knew it, it was close to midnight and Cole was getting ready to leave. Putting on the shirt I tore off him, and the shoes he took off to be more comfortable, I walked him to the door and pulled him down to place a chaste kiss on his full lips. This was obviously the wrong thing to do because he growled and pushed me up against the wall where he savagely kissed the hell out of me for another few minutes. He pulled away from me. I ran my fingers through his hair, cupped his cheeks and searched his face. He looked indecisive. So, naturally, I squeaked when he picked me up, forcing my legs to wrap around his waist, and carried me back to my room for round two. I smile at the memory. The second time, he let me come after ten minutes. Ten minutes of sweet torture. Attempting to leave a second time, I walked him back to the door but when I went to kiss him, he stopped me with a firm, “No.”
I am really liking Cole. Cole the caveman. Cole the sweetheart. I like him both ways.
This brings us to now. I open the text message. My eyes widen and I flush before bursting into laughter.
Cole: I figured it out. You taste like my grandmother’s blueberry pie.
I respond immediately.
Me: Holy shitballs, Cole! You can’t wake me up like that. You damn near gave me a heart attack.
Cole: I thought I loved my grandmother’s blueberry pie til I tried yours.
Flushing a bright red, my core begins to moisten. I’m getting hot and bothered, I type quickly.
Me: You’re welcome to a slice anytime you like…but I’ll make you work for it.
Cole: Fuck yeah, sunshine. Working for it is half the fun.
Me: You’re making me hot. That’s not fair :(
Cole: I’ll make it up to you if you let me see you tonight ;)
My thoughts immediately drift to Ghost. The cooking show he likes is on tonight. I thought we’d stay in and watch. I begin arguing with myself.
Why are you making Ghost a priority?
I’m not making him a priority. He’s my friend. That’s what friends do.
Think, girl. How much are you getting out of this friendship? Who’s getting the better end of the deal here?
Fuck you, brain. You’re a bitter bitch. Ghost may not be great to me, but he isn’t bad to me.
Don’t get hurt.
Yeah, yeah. I’ll make sure of that.
I sigh and text Cole.
Me: Sorry, honey. Got plans with friends tonight. Maybe tomorrow?
A few minutes pass and I’m suddenly worried that Cole is pissed with me.
Cole: Sure thing, sunshine. Tomorrow. It’s a date.
Relief washes over me. It’s not like I lied to him. I just didn’t tell him which friend I was hanging out with. Alone. In my apartment. All night.
Hmmm. If the tables were turned and Cole was hanging out with some hot chick all night in his apartment, I’d be pissed. I decide that next time I see him I’ll explain that Ghost and I have a unique friendship and all will be okay.
I hope.
***
Today is dragging so much that I think I might just poke myself in the eye for fun.
Tina won’t be in today because Tatiana has a cold. That sucks balls. My heart aches for my little sweetheart. I hate it when kids get sick, especially young babies because there isn’t a lot you can do to help. Tina feels helpless which means I’m right there with her.
So, today I am boss lady of Safira’s boutique. Luckily, Mimi and Lola are both working today, but it’s just my luck that things aren’t going well.
Firstly, a shipment of clothes due to be on racks today has gone AWOL and, as per usual, the cuntish people at the post office are taking on a not my problem kind of approach. Secondly, I missed my lunch because there were too many people in the store and I couldn’t leave the girls to handle it on their own. Thirdly, every second person is throwing attitude my way, and every time someone speaks to me, my brain translates it to sound like blah, blah, fucking blah.
It’s only a matter of time before I lose my shit and give someone a piece of my mind.
I never said I was a good boss lady.
The crowd dies down and my stomach rumbles. Loudly. Lola looks over at me with wide eyes. “What the heck was that?”
Mimi answers from across the studio, never looking up from her clipboard. “She’s hungry. She didn’t have time to get lunch.”
Lola looks stricken. “What the heck is wrong with you?” she yells and then slaps my shoulder.
Mimi responds, still not looking over, “She’s the boss lady today. She can’t leave if there are more than ten people in the store. She couldn’t go then.” Mimi finally looks at me and smiles. “But she can leave now.”
I smile my response. Lola grabs my purse and pushes me across the studio towards the front door. “Go on! Get!”
I can’t help but laugh. I love these girls. “You guys want anything from Silvio’s?”
At the same time, they both answer, “Cookie!” in a Cookie Monster voice.
Chuckling at their silliness, I take my purse and walk down the street to Silvio’s sub shop. The man makes a sandwich like no one else. He actually cuts the meat right in front of you. The turkey is always fresh and moist. A sub by Silvio is to die for.
Silvio is a sweet, mature Italian man. He’s balding, round, funny and barely speaks passable English. He spots me and pretends to have heart troubles by putting his hands on his chest and stumbling back. He smiles a cheeky smile and greets me with, “diavolo rosso dai capelli.” I’ve since learned this means Red-haired Devil.
And I have to say, I like it.
I smile my most charming smile and ask him, “What do you have fit for a Devil?”
Silvio lifts his head to the ceiling and belly laughs. With dancing eyes he replies, “You no devil. Too sweet for devil. Maybe angel?”
Still smiling, I shake my head forlornly and tell him, “Wishful thinking, Silvio. We both know what I am. I can’t hide it.”
He chuckles through his reply, “Sweet devil, one day you become angel. You see.” He goes about making my regular turkey sub and I look around the store. I do a double take when I see Ghost sitting in the corner booth frowning at his laptop screen. Silvio hands me my sub and two cookies. Without thinking, I go over to Ghost and sit right next to him. He scowls as he turns but as soon as he looks at me, his face softens a little.
A sheepish smile forms on his face. “Sorry. Didn’t see you there.”
Unwrapping my sub, I reply, “No shit, Sherlock. Why so glum? Porn not loading quick enough?”
A look of confusion crosses his face. I nod to his laptop. He smirks and replies, “Sugar, what makes you think I need porn?” He leans back in the booth, places his hands behind his head and looks smug. “Club ladies throw themselves at me all the time.” I roll my eyes and pretend to choke on my sub. Chuckling, he goes back to his laptop, typing furiously. We sit in a comfortable silence and I finish up my sub with a moan. It’s a seriously good sub. If I had a hat, I’d take it off to Silvio.
“I like that,” Ghost murmurs.
Huh?
I open my eyes from my food coma and look right into Ghost’s soft brown eyes. “Like what?”
“When you-” Cutting himself off, he clears his throat and looks back to his laptop. “When women eat.”
Laughter bursts out of me and I utter, “Then you should love me, Ash. There’s nothing better in the world than food. Why do you think I love Tina so much? The girl can bake!”
Still looking at his laptop, Ghost mutters, “The girl can seriously bake.”
Chuckling, Ghost one-ups me. “The girl can ice the fuck out of a cupcake.”
We look at each other smiling like a couple of jerks and laugh. I hold my belly and say, “Oh shit. Tina got served and she doesn’t even know it.”
Ghost’s smile fades and he says deadly serious, “Don’t tell her I was making fun of her. I love those cupcakes.”
The thought of Ghost being scared that Tina would cut him off is hilarious! I laugh again but what Ghost says next wipes any form of mirth off of my face. “So, I heard moaning and banging on the walls last night. I take it your date went well.” He doesn’t even look at me, just types away on his laptop.
Unsure whether to tell him to mind his own fucking business or to defend myself, I decide being aloof is best. “Yeah, I guess you could say it went well.”
Watching him closely, I see what seems to be anger cross his face, but he covers it quickly. “So, I guess I should get used to that, huh? Him spending the night?”
Hold the fuck up. Say what now?
Now I’m pissed. I reply heatedly, “First things first, dickwad, he didn’t spend the night. Secondly, whatever sexcapades I plan to take on are none of your fucking business. Thirdly, I wasn’t going to see him tonight so we could watch the baking show together, but now you can eat a dick.” I finish on a nod, and move to stand but he catches my hand and pulls me back into the booth to sit.
He looks confused as he says, “Hey, now. I didn’t mean to sound rude. I was just making conversation.”
Scoffing, I reply, “Yeah, right. You’re acting like I owe you an explanation or some shit, Ash.”
Frowning, he murmurs, “You’re right. Sorry, pretty girl. It won’t happen again.”
I love when he calls me pretty girl. The rat bastard.
I look into his eyes. He looks upset at himself and genuinely sorry. I sigh and roll my eyes heavenward. “Okay. Good.”
Warmth on my hand draws my gaze. I haven’t even realized he’s still holding my hand from when he pulled me back into the booth. His thumb softly rubs the back of my hand. When he sees me look down, he drops my hand like it’s hot and clears his throat. “So, we still watching TV tonight or did I just make things weird?”